Refuge
by Auluna
Summary: He fled his home world to find refuge on another. What Dac Farren was to find would be beyond anything he imagined...


A/N: Welcome to my weird little world that is this story! For the categorically inclined, this could be classified as a Star Trek/Final Fantasy crossover. I know it's hard to believe, but I did it. The version of Star Trek in question is the "alternate reality" as shown in the two recent films. As for Final Fantasy, darned if I'm not finding a way to fit ALL of 'em into the same universe! (So for the purists of either fandom, the search button is around here somewhere, and you can find something else to your taste).

A few specifics to get to, the big one first: I DO NOT OWN A THING! Only two characters I own are Dac Farren (the main character) and his daughter, Tchita. More OC's may come along eventually, but that remains to be seen. Everything else belongs to the respective (and bloody brilliant) creators.

Second, for the Final Fantasy X and X-2 nuts, you'll see a smattering of Al Bhed being spoken in here. Translations will be included at the end of the chapter for the curious (and in case you wonder, I worked out the thing myself!).

I do believe that about covers it, so I do hope you all enjoy this little venture of mine.

* * *

It was the middle of the night, and the Armada airfield was still. The massive red airships and smaller shuttle craft stood silently; the faint moonlight turning them an eerie shade of crimson in the darkened environment. There was little movement among the massive vessels, save for the lithe form darting in between supply crates.

He moved like a man that knew the airfield by heart, for that's what he was. Much of his adult life had been spent in this very place, piloting the vessels that now stood as a metallic forest he used for cover. He used one hand to stead the supply bag slung over his shoulder, to keep it from jostling around and making noise; the other hand was to hold in place the two thin arms that were locked around his neck. The sleeping form of his daughter was hardly a burden to him weight-wise, but carrying her did pose a dexterity problem.

The objective for the man was a small shuttle craft almost at the very end of the airfield. It was a small, deadly thing designed to withstand short runs into the hell of space; and it was one that he helped to build with his own two hands. With luck, this would be the vessel that got him and his daughter off of the forsaken planet they stood on the surface of; and to a place where they could live in relative peace. He was barely ten paces from the hull of said craft when a sharp whisper stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Dac" the voice said flatly. "Tyssed*" the man muttered, turning on his heel; only to come face to face with a man that he had known for many years. He'd trained as an Engineer, where Dac had gone the path of a Science Officer in the Armada; but that mattered little now. "So you're not going to try and enter the Rift, I assume?" the yellow-haired Al Bhed said with a crooked grin. "Du Ramm fedr dryd**" Dac said, "there's no guarantee that I'll find anything on the other side of that damned tunnel. But if I make a sprint for Federation space, I'll have better luck". "You're the only man in the whole Armada that would go through the Badlands in a shuttle craft". "Shuttle my ass, you know as well as I do Ilan that these are shrunken warships. If anything can handle the Badlands, it's one of these".

Dac turned back to look at the shuttle, wishing Ilan would get to the damn point so Dac could either incapacitate his friend or shake his hand and then be on his way. "I'm not gonna stop you. Hell, we all figured you'd make a break for Space. That's why the scanning systems have conveniently gone offline due to emergency maintenance" the blonde man said with a grin, and Dac then wished he had a free arm to hug him with. "Thank you, Ilan. I know you're risking your own ass for this" Dac said, the figurative weight lifted off of his psyche. Ilan waved a dismissive hand at Dac, "please, this is my 3rd Sin War; risking my ass is part of the job. Now get on that damn shuttle and haul out of here; before I change my mind!". Dac could only nod at his friend, before quickly activating the shuttle door with the device clipped to the strap of his shoulder bag.

He didn't look back at Ilan as he climbed aboard the shuttle and deposited his daughter on a bench in the back, he knew the Al Bhed man would spin kick him silly if he did. Instead Dac hit the button to shut the door and seal off the craft before securing the little girl that was beginning to stir. "Papa?" came a sleepy voice, and Dac was by his daughter's side in a blink. "Shh, it's alright Tchita. We're getting out of here, we're going to honor your mother's request. It's going to be a wild ride, so I'm gonna make you sleep through it; okay?". Looking at her father through wisps of white hair that hung in her eyes, Tchita nodded; and quickly slipped back into unconsciousness as Dac administered another dose of sedative via hypo spray. He silently thanked his mother's people that she was still too groggy to begin with to object; and then secured her for the coming trip.

With a few voice activations and the push of some buttons, the shuttle craft began to hum to life, the view screen coming on just as Dac settled himself into the pilot's seat. It was the warm season, so the nights were far shorter; which explained the incrementally lighter sky that Dac was faced with as he sat down. He muttered the necessary steps to himself as he readied the vessel for takeoff, giving one look back at Tchita; strapped securely to the bench. A low, electronic voice indicated that Dac was ready for takeoff, and with a pull to the controls he was airborne and headed for the edge of his world's atmosphere.

As per his calculations, Dac made it to the edge of Spiran space in a third of a day; and then the trip through the Badlands began. This area of the Alpha Quadrant had been given the name by several species; and with good reason. Several hundred light years in thickness, the Badlands formed a barrier around the system that Dac's world was located in. There were plasma storms in that treacherous area that had been going for thousands upon thousands of years. One could see several plasma twisters within this storm at any given time, a sight that was equal parts beautiful and terrifying. Only the advanced class of pilots in the Armada were allowed to fly here for training, and it might take decades for one to even qualify as an instructor.

Dac remembered his training just a few short years ago in these parts, and had quickly learned the maneuvers to dodge the twisters that could obliterate his vessel, should they make contact. He half-wished that Tchita was awake to see this awesome sight, but then mentally admonished himself and continued on the most perilous part of his journey. Even going at top speed, the trip took nearly three days; but Dac hardly noticed. Staying awake for long stretches was one of the first things he was taught at the academy where he was trained, and it had nothing to do with standing vigil for Sinspawn, either. He shuddered at the mere thought of that word, choking back the memories of the creature that had taken his wife -Tchita's mother- from them. He had to expect it, living in the world he did, but that didn't make it any easier.

The young man felt nearly weightless from the relief he experienced when he finally broke through the last of the plasma storms. The very few calm moments he had during that trip were spent administering nutrient and sedative hypo sprays to Tchita, to keep her asleep during this mess as well as assuring she wouldn't suffer from lack of nutrition. This was at the risk of his own well-being, but he had always been told growing up that the little ones needed the most sustenance; and that they had top priority in an situation. "Now for the really tricky part" Dac muttered to himself as he planted in the pilot's seat once more.

He was now in Federation space, and the time came to send out a signal to any Federation vessels that he was all on his own out there. _"With any luck" _Dac thought to himself, _"Starfleet will be the ones to pick up"_. Taking a breath, Dac put in the sequence that would let him broadcast, and began to speak. "This is Dac Farren of the Spiran Armada. I've broken out of Spiran space and past the Badlands. If any Federation vessels are listening in, I've been traveling for the better part of a week. I have precious cargo on board that will probably need looking after. Out". With that, Dac turned on the cloaking shields that would scramble the shuttles precise location; something all Armada small shuttle craft were outfitted with. Now the waiting game began, with Dac hearing nothing but the hum of the craft, and his own breathing.

Hours ticked by, how many exactly, Dac lost track of. He alternated between staring out of the viewscreen, and checking in on Tchita. He decided that she would sleep off the remainder of the sedatives, and let her wake up on her own. He just hoped they were safely aboard a starship before that happened. Dac was ready to give into sleep when the precious beeping sound of a hail brought him back to reality. Touching the required button on the panel, Dac listened with a racing heart. _"This is the USS Carolina, we have recieved your distress signal. Do you copy?". _

Dac would have jumped up and hooted for joy if it weren't for the sleeping child in back. Instead he did a bit of a dance in his chair and then responded. "I copy you, _Carolina_; I never thought I'd be so happy to hear from anyone in my life". _"Have you or your vessel sustained any damage?" _"Only what one could expect playing Chicken with plasma twisters. I'd love to chat with you further, but let me be blunt: I've spent the better part of a week getting the hell out of Dodge. I'd be damn appreciative if you could fish me out of this place and remind me that there's something bigger than the tin can I've been rattling around in for the past few days". Dac wished he could see the faces of the _Carolina_ bridge crew after hearing his words, but he'd have to settle for the images in his own mind. After a short while, the _Carolina_ came back. _"We read you, hold tight and we'll be there shortly" _"Copy that" Dac said, and the transmission ended.

Slumping back in the pilot's seat, Dac let out a heavy sigh of relief. Part of him regretted fleeing his homeworld, but the prospect of giving Tchita a peaceful childhood was more than enough to outweigh any negativity. Leaning over the side, Dac looked at his daughter's sleeping form.

"Soon darling, you'll be safe and sound..."

* * *

*Tyssed=Dammit

**Du Ramm fedr dryd=To Hell with that


End file.
